Punch.



No. 664,299. Patented Dec. 1-8, I900.

j c. E. smnu.

PUNCH.

(Application filed Apr. 23, 1900.)

(No Model.)

. 13 g l 1 v 2 P WITNESSES:' INVENTOR m: Norms Pzrzns cc, PHOYOLITHO. WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. SMITH, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

PUNCH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 664,299, dated December 18, 1900.

Application filed April 23, 1900. Serial No. 13,964. KNo model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E; SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belt-Punches; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in belt-punches such as are used in making perforations in leather belts for the purpose of lacing, and has for its objects to insure accurate cutting of the punch and to always enable the punch to seat squarely upon the cutting-block, whereby a punch will not become dulled in a short time and no particular pains is necessary in setting the punch within its head or carrying-jaw.

With these ends in. view my invention consists of certain details of construction, such as will be hereinafterfully set forth and then specifically be designated by the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an elevation which shows a gang-punch equipped with myimprovement. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail sectional broken views of the lower jaw, illustrating the manner of applying the cutter-block and securing the same in position; and Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Figs. 2 and 3, but illustrating a modification.

Similar numbers of reference denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Prior to my invention it has been the common practice to take a piece of soft brass and secure it firmly within the lower jaw, so that the cutting-punches may operate against the soft brass as a cutter-block. Also a brass block has been loosely contained within a recess in the lower jaw and has been secured by a pin passed through the sides of the jaw and through the brass block, so that the pin is capable of a rocking movement.

The construction first referred to is disadvantageous, since if the punches are not set perfectly true they will strike against the cutter-block at an angle and will not out true and even and the punches will soon become dull and will frequently become chipped at the particular location Where they strike the cutter-block.

The construction which comprises the pivoted cutter-block has defects that are quite serious and render it inefficient in a short time, since there must be more or less space between the side walls of the recess in the jaw and the shank of the cutter-block, so as to permit the latter to rock, and this space quickly becomes clogged by foreign matter, thus anchoring the block rigidly. My improvement overcomes these defects and will be best understood from the following description.

1 is the upper jaw, and 2 the lower jaw, these jaws being pivoted together at 3 and having the usual hand-levers 4 5, the parts being held normally distended by means of the spring 6, attached to the inner part of one of the hand portions and bearing against the opposite hand portion. Journaled at the end of the jaw 1 is the hub 7, within the periphery of which the punches 8 are secured, while on one side of this hub are ratchet-teeth 9, which are engaged by a spring-pawl 10, the latter being secured to the side of the jaw 1. The proper punch is brought into position by turning the hub, and the pawl 10 drops behind one of the ratchet-teeth and holds the hub in position. The lower jaw is bored out by any suitable tool, so as to form a recess 11 with a convex bottom 12, and the cutter-block 13 is made from soft brass, in the shape of a frustum of a'cone, and the base of the block is placed upon the convex bottom or seat 12, as clearly shown at Fig. 2. The stock of the lower jaw immediately surrounding the top of the recess is now forced inwardly by means of any suitable tool, so as to lie snugly against the side of the block, as shown at Fig. 3, and the block is thereby confined in position and at the same time rendered capable of free rotary and universal rocking movements.

Instead of making the seat at the bottom of the resess convex this seat may be perfectly however, to use the construction illustrated at Figs. 2 and 3 for the reason that it is more easily made and causes less waste of material.

When the punches descend upon the cutter-block, the latter will rock and adjust itself squarely across the cutting-face of the punch, so that the latter will cut evenly, and in order not to perform all the cutting against one portion of the block the latter may be turned around at times, so that new portions of the face of the cutting-block may be presented, and this is quite an advantage.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, iS-.

I. In a belt-punch, the combination of the pivoted jaws, one jaw carrying the punch while the other jaw is recessed and is provided with a cutter-block which has a rocking seat on the bottom of said recess, the diameter of said block at its upper'portionadjacent to its face being contracted, while the stock of the lower jaw is forced against said contracted portion of said block thereby holding the block'in place and permitting free rotary and universal rocking movements of the same, substantially as set forth.

2. In a belt-punch, the lower jaw having a recess witha convex seat at the bottom, and the cutter-block shaped like the frustum of a cone, the base of said block resting on said convex seat while the stock of the lower jaw is forced against the side of said block near the upper end thereof, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 1 in presence of two witnesses.

I CHARLES E. SMITH. Witnesses:

F. W. SMITH, J r., M. T. LONGDEN. 

